Pope says WWI should teach us: No more war

Pope Francis is marking the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I with an impassioned plea for people to ‘not repeat the mistakes of the past,’ urging them to embrace dialogue to overcome conflicts.

Francis cited current warfare between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as in Iraq and in Ukraine. He told pilgrims and tourists in St Peter’s Square on Sunday that he was thinking of children killed, maimed or orphaned by war who ‘for toys, have the debris of war.’ ‘I beg you, stop. I ask you with all my heart,’ Francis said.

He cited World War I-era Pope Benedict XV’s denunciation of the Great War as a ‘useless massacre.’ Francis said: ‘Everything is lost with war, nothing is lost with peace. Never more war.’